When It Counts
by lildevchick
Summary: Michelangelo may not always be taken seriously, but he'll always pull through for his family when things get rough.


A/N: This is just something that randomly popped into my head today when watching the new series and I just had to get it down. I honestly wrote this in about an hour. Hopefully it doesn't come across as too rushed or anything. I love the new show and I think Mikey is absolutely adorable, but there are times when I wish he wasn't always shown as messing up. Seriously, Mikey is totally a capable ninja...most of the time. This is just a oneshot for now, though I may choose to expand upon it in in the future. This is set in the 2k12 universe.

Feel free to let me know what you think once you've finished reading!

**Disclaimer: Don't own, but oh, the fun I'd have if I did!**

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_Pain. PainpainpainpainPAIN._

My hands are a screaming mass of hurt, every nerve feeling as though it's on fire. I can't even form a coherent thought it's so bad. My eyes water and I can barely see through the tears that I so desperately want to shed. But I can't. I can't because things just went from bad to worse and ninjas aren't supposed to cry. I know that. I do. But it's taking everything I have to not curl up into a pathetic little ball and pour my terror and my _pain _out through my eye sockets.

My stomach churns and I think for a moment that I may vomit. I won't, though. Not here. I fight the urge to empty my stomach all over the rooftop and I swallow whatever it was that was rising to the surface. Probably that jelly bean and sausage pizza we had for dinner. I taste bile in the back of my throat as I swallow but I hold myself in control. I clench my eyes shut and then force myself to reopen them when I hear Raph scream his rage for the city to hear. It's like a foghorn. I can hear it through the haze my mind has settled around me. I watch as a red and green blur hurls himself into my line of sight, right into our enemy, knocking him clear off his feet.

But Shredder isn't phased. He twists his body as he flies backwards, using his right hand to slow his movement as he skids back and away from my brother. Before he even stops, he kicks off the concrete and launches himself at Raphael – who is so completely tired that it's all he can do to stand upright at this point – and slashes him across his plastron. My brother grunts in surprise, staring down to look at the slashes now bleeding on his front. Stunned, he drops to his knees.

I think I shout his name. I'm not sure, though. The pain coursing through my hands has made me deaf to just about everything else except for the screaming in my head. I want to move to my brother's side, to reassure both him and myself that he's going to be fine, that we'll get through this, but I can't move. I'm lying on my stomach, with my hands pinned to the roof, pierced through by Leo's katanas. For a moment I stare at them and watch as my blood forms two ever-growing pools around them. I'm losing the precious fluid at an alarming rate. I don't have to be as smart as Donnie to know that.

I don't even remember how it happened. The fight has been so one-sided and Shredder just moves so damn fast that I can't pinpoint the exact time it happened. It could've been an hour ago for all I know. It's gotten to the point where I honestly can't remember a time when I wasn't in pain.

My attention is drawn back to my red-banded brother as he struggles to stand back up. I want to yell at him, to tell him and the others to just get out of there but I think the only sound that escapes me is a whimper. We need to retreat, to get the shell away from this place. There's just no possible way we can win this fight. We're just not ready.

I watch as Raph manages to steady himself on his feet, both sais clutched in his hands so tight that his knuckles are turning pale. He wobbles a little, one hand held over his injuries as though that will help stem the blood-flow. Thankfully the wounds don't appear to be that deep. The blood is only oozing out at a trickle. He hobbles a little to his left, but quickly straightens and shakes his head, as though that will suddenly clear it. He looks to either side of him. Leo's on his left, hunched over on all fours. He took a pretty bad blow to his head and I can barely make out a gash on the back of his skull from when Shredder attacked him. He's trying to stand but having a lot of difficulty. I know he must be seeing stars right now. Donnie's to Raph's right and he's faring a little better than Leo. He's standing on shaky legs, using his bo staff to steady himself. His right leg is bleeding profusely, thanks to a large gash courtesy of Shredder's blades and his left arm is hanging limply at his side. It's definitely broken.

I can't see myself, but I know I'm definitely not the picture of springtime and daffodils, either. Aside from the obvious, I've got a pretty nasty gash just under my neck. Seriously, if it had been just a couple of inches higher, I don't think I'd be here right now. I can feel blood running from the wound, pooling where my plastron connects to my skin before running down my front. I try to stand, try to slide my hands up the blades of my brother's katanas, in an attempt to maybe try and pull them from the ground with force, but the slightest movement causes the weapons to further tear into my skin.

Seriously. _PAIN._

My brothers look awful, but I know they're not about to back down. Shredder stands between them and me and while I know that I may piss them off on a daily basis, I know how much they care about me. Shell, it's why I'm able to get away with most of the stuff I pull. I'm fine with my role as baby brother. I like having three older brothers to look out for me and I honestly wouldn't trade it for anything. But sometimes, I wish they wouldn't completely lose it when I'm in trouble. They _know _that I can handle myself more often than not. Sure, I may mess up and I definitely lack focus, but I always pull through when it counts.

But right now, I can't move. I don't even know where my nun-chucks are and I'm definitely not doing so hot. I can see the worry in Don's eyes every time he glances over at me. A beat later and his worry quickly turns to anger as he focuses once more on our enemy. They all do. I know they want him as far away from me as possible. I wish they'd worry about me less right now. I'm clearly not even a blip on Shredder's radar at the moment.

Leo finally pulls himself to his feet and lowers his body into a ready stance. He doesn't have his katanas and while he's good in hand-to-hand combat, he's much better when he has the use of his swords. I try to watch as everything happens, but there's too much pain-induced fog in my brain for me to focus. I'm barely aware of Leo slamming into the ground with an audible crack and Raph flying off over the edge of the building. Before it even occurs to me to worry, he's climbed back over, ready for more. Don charges past him, swinging his bow staff expertly with his one good arm. It splinters upon contact when Shredder blocks it and he responds with a sweep of Don's legs and a vicious punch to his broken arm. My brainy brother screams as the break worsens. Raph is now furious and that's when he's at his most vulnerable. He's seeing red and he's not focused. He stabs at Shredder with his sai, but is subdued with little trouble.

Shredder takes a few steps back, no doubt to survey his handiwork. I'll bet he's pleased with himself. He turns to glance at me over his shoulder, but I'm clearly not a threat. I hear him say something through the fog. Something about who's first...?

_NO!_

He paces, a few steps one way, before returning to where he started and heading a few steps in the other direction. He completes the line a few times. I know that jerk is smiling under his helmet and it makes my blood boil, something that's rare for me. I rise to me knees, feeling my hands scream in agony as they slide partially up the blades holding me in place. A couple tears finally slip down my cheeks but I make sure to hold the rest back. I _will not _cry.

Then Shredder stops. He takes a moment to look at each of my brothers, who have moved to huddle together as best they can. If they are to fall, they will not fall alone. They will be together. They glance over at me briefly, before turning icy glares to the man who has them overwhelmed. And then he moves, slowly, deliberately. He's taking casual steps, as though he has all the time in the world.

_Get away from my family! GetawaygetawaygetAWAY!_

I try to scream. I want them to run, to just leave me behind. I know they're injured, but they can push themselves and get away. I know they can. But they refuse to leave me behind. I know just as well as them, that they won't be able to free me and make it out alive. We're all way too injured. Freeing me would be the last thing any of us did. But they could try to escape. They could. I wish they would see that, but I know it's a thought that will never cross their minds. Just like I wouldn't leave any of them behind, they won't abandon me on this rooftop, even if it means they can live. In better circumstances one of them might be able to hold off Shredder long enough for the other two to escape, but they're all so run down, they'd be overtaken in an instant.

My eyes widen and fear and anger overtakes me as Shredder stops directly before my brothers. They try to stand, refusing to just face death lying on the ground, but the effort is difficult. I grit my teeth through the pain as I tug my hands up and back, effectively sawing through bone, tendon, and muscle. I think I might hurl but I pull out everything I am and keep moving my hands - up and down and back. Shredder raises his arm, readying his finishing strike and suddenly I'm on him without even realizing I'd moved. I barely register the shock on my brothers' faces as I throw myself bodily into our enemy, knocking him backwards. Thinking quickly, the others roll out of the way, letting Shredder and I stumble past them. I feel no pain and the fog in my mind has completely lifted. All I know is fury and desperation, knowing that I have to keep him away from my family. I drive him back and back, closer to the edge of the roof. I jump up and land a few kicks to his abdomen and a punch to his jaw that has me briefly seeing stars. He bends backwards against my onslaught and I take the moment to jump and land on his chest, putting as much power into my legs as possible. I use him as a springboard and flip up and back. I land in a crouch and sweep under his legs, effectively knocking him off of his feet and over the side of the building, leaving him to plummet five stories.

I don't bother looking over the edge - I'm sure he's fine. This is the Shredder we're talking about, after all. He's like a cockroach – he just won't die. I turn to my brothers, who are staring at me with their mouths hanging open. I want to say something witty and clever, but pain explodes in my hands at that exact moment, so horrific and intense that it brings me to my knees with a gut-wrenching sob. I lift my hands shakily and stare at the damage. I'd sliced all the way through my hands. I'd wrenched them free and torn the flesh of my palms all the way up to in between my fingers. Blood is pouring down my arms in rivulets. I want to put on a brave face, to smile and joke about the injuries, but in the face of all that agony, I just can't. I slam my face into the ground, holding my hands away from me, afraid to even look at them and I scream. I choke on a sob when I try to move my fingers but can't, instead feeling the most intensely horrible feeling race up my arms.

I'm vaguely aware of Donnie gently grabbing me by the wrist, of Leo telling the others that we have to get out of there, and of Raph rubbing soothing circles on my shell. I scream anew as I feel cloth wrapped gently over my wounds in an attempt to stem the blood flow. Even something so simple and gentle fills me with pain and steals my breath. I only catch a glimpse of blue and purple around my hands before the colors disappear underneath all that red and I feel something prick my arm.

Oh, right. Donnie was smart enough to bring his medicine bag with him on what should have been a routine patrol. Heh, so much for that. I only have a second to wonder what he just injected into my arm when someone lifts me up – probably Raph – and I feel as we start to move. Honestly, I'm only half aware of everything at this point.

As consciousness starts to leave me, one final thought permeates my dulled mind. We made it out of there. Maybe not in one piece, but we're all alive. My brothers know they can count on me when it gets rough. I may be the baby and the goof, but I'm still a ninja. I always pull through when it counts. Always.


End file.
